sororities in high school?!?!?!
 

Hi i guess this is just a question. I was talking with some of my sisters and they said that at some of their high schools they had "sororities". since mine didnt i was wondering if any of you out there had sororites at your high school and if so how do they compare to the GLOs on college campuses?

There are two sororities at the high schools here there at ADKs DBS. As far as what they do....one of my friends that use to be an DBS said pretty much all they did was have fund raisers for a philanthropy and have a formal.

This is news to me too, as I have never heard of Sororities in high school before.

By the way, sailorpiphi, I noticed you are in Michigan... So am I. Which high schools did you hear this about? I'm all curious now.

the ones i heard about were in illinois

When I was in high school (many moons ago), there were "sororities" and "fraternities". I went to a very large school so there were many of them too. And from what understand our rival high school had them too. These schools are located in the southeast.

I don't think that it's cool that they would have sororities in high school. Is it not tradition that they are for college-only girls? Maybe I'm wrong...someone correct me!

:confused:

iremember that when i was in high school our student handbook banned sororites and fraternities. i always wondered how someone would belong to a sorority or fraternity in high school . i guess it is possible

It's kind of a neat idea to have sororities in high school, but dear lord! I don't think I would have survived! There was not a lot of variety in my high school & some of those girls were MEAN!!! My h.s. sorority would have looked like "Dying to Belong". :p

High school sororities and fraternities have been around a very long time, and they offer many of the same things that college GLO's do. They hold philanthropy events, fundraisers and formals very much like we do. However, because of risk management concerns, many schools do not allow them on campus anymore.

My mother was in a high school sorority, and I have pictures of her all dressed up with her date for formals. :) I'm very glad that she had the opportunity to join a sorority back then because the college she attended later did not offer Greek Life. Had it not been for Mom's own high school sorority experience, then she probably would not have encouraged me so strongly to go through Rush when I started college.

When I was in high school eons ago, we had 2 "sororities". The were the perfect examples of the stereotypes we are trying to overcome today. They would haze, with numerous degrading activities on the campus. They were supposedly illegal, but the teachers seemed to turn a blind eye.

Their attitude toward those who were not members was out right mean. Non-members took the brunt of the abuse when they were not initiating their pledges.

DaffyKD

My high shcool had two; one was ALpha Beta Gamma and the other was Kappa Eplison. It was just girls that felt that they were above the rest of the population at school. I don't think that they had anything types of involment on the school campus. They hazed, had wild parties and degraded their "pledges". etc. I did not see any reason for them.

I grew up in Arkansas, and we had Delta Beta Sigma also. My younger sister and all of my freinds were members. They did a lot of the same stuff as college sorroities, but mother involvment is a lot higher. Moms are at EVERYTHING. It was pretty neat.

We also had 2 high school fraternities: Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Delta Sigma. They were a lot like the stereotypes.:rolleyes:

Right before I started high school, they ended the "sorority-like" traditions of the Civinettes club at my school. It used to be something that every girl wanted to be a part of, and they did a LOT of hazing (making new members dress up in silly outfits, coming to their house at 4:00 in the morning, etc). But by the time I was there, Civinettes was a dying club that had maybe less than 10 members. It's good that they stopped it all though, because Civinettes is techically a division of the Civitans, and they never meant for all that to happen.

Wasn't Sela Ward in a high school sorority? I seem to remember some story about how she was bullied/harrassed/etc from a sorority but it wasn't Chi Omega.

I know I'm going to get made fun of here...

When I was a kid, I used to read the Sweet Valley High series. In it, one of the twins is in a high school sorority. When I actually reached high school and learned that we didn't have sororities, I was pretty disappointed. I think in those books they only had one at the school, and they were huge on blackballing, and terrible bitches.

I'm still a bit confused...
 

So were these sororities just made up? Was there an office of alumns that sorta observed everything?
Do they actually go through a recruitment period, and hold initiations?
Were these sororities in any way tied to college sororities (like, the same name, or did they just make up names)
And what happened when they graduated and went to college? Could they join another sorority?

Sorry for the 20 questions. I'm just really curious.

I have posted something on this topic before....I think.

But my grandmother was in a high school sorority or "social club" It was called the Sub-Dub club or something like that, but it had a pin and an initiation and stuff like that to it. The pin had greek letters on it (well the name has greek letters, I just cant remember what they are!). They wore a uniform and it was kind of a high school girl scouts that threw parties and stuff like that (of course no alcohol!) Also they had formals and stuff. But it was selective you had to be invited into it and I am not sure how that worked, but I know her sister was never allowed in. But I always thought it sounded interesting.

LOL -- Oh my gosh, I read those too!!!
I think the sorority letters were Alpha Phi, and I remember something about Jessica Wakefield having a "Phi Bear" -- is there some connection to the author and Alpha Phi?
And yes, the members in the book were terrible -- I would have been ticked off it they had used our letters...

Re: I'm still a bit confused...
 

DBS was founded at Columbia Institute, Columbia, Tennessee, on October 1, 1903. In its history DBS has had 54 chapters, mainly in TN, AR, MS, LA, TX. They have a week of recruitment, where they "kidnap" the PNM (with their mothers' cooperation and permission), and spend a week inviting the mothers and the PNM's to activities. Then a Bid Day where invitations are extended to the ones they want to have aas members. Basically, no one is kidnapped who they don't already know they want to bid, but it gives the PNMs a chance to get to know them and see if it is something they want to do.
DBS has a Ritual, Initiation, secret meaning for letters, stuff only members are allowed to know, basically set up just like college orgs, only the girls are high school, and the moms have a much more active role in everything. They also have two formals a year.
DBS is not tied to any college sorority, and you can join any GLO you like at college.

She's a Dusty Girl!
 

Sela is a "Dusty" from Meridian HS, Meridian, MS. (MHS has about 4 sororities but they are not listed on the school website.) She was promoting her new book on a local radio show and several Dusty alumnae called. One alumna told of how the year that Sela's class went through her legacy daughter didn't get a bid - too many legacies and not enough spaces. Therefore, the mom and some of her Dusty friends helped to form "Mes Amie". Another caller said that the Dusties have reunions almost every year.

There aren’t many high school sororities on the web but here are two national high school fraternities –

Phi Kappa Fraternity (Founded February 3, 1900 – 9 active chapters of 50 chartered) - www.geocities.com/phikappaec/

Sigma Alpha Rho Fraternity International (Jewish interest Founded 1917 - 22 Chapters and a colony) – http://sarfraternity.org/home.htm
Tau Epsilon Chi Sorority is SAR’s sister group.

Our high school soroities were not recogized by the school. Meetings and activities were on the students' time after school only. We had Anchor Club and Key Club as well.

The sorority in the Sweet Valley High series was Pi Beta Alpha. I don't really remember whether or not she had a "Phi Bear" but I am not aware of any connection b/w Alpha Phi and Francine Pascal.

Laura

*has sudden urge to look for Sweet Valley books*

Really interesting! I don't think my high school was mature enough to handle a sorority, it would have been disastrous!

In My Old High, we had 1 Fraternity Sigma Tau, and 3 Soroitys!

God, I wish I had my old Pin!!!!!

Would go great with my APO,BX local, , and LXA Badge that will be given to My LXA Chapter!

Never forget your roots as is your history!:)

We had high school sororities when I was in high school. There were actually two greek letter sororities and Anchors, which was run like a sorority at my high school.

Yes, there was mini-rush. During Club Day you found out what activities each group would be participating in for the next couple of weeks and, if you were interested, you could show up. They voted on new members and, if you made it through that, you could join. Yes, there were people (actually quite a few) that got turned away, some for potentially stupid reasons.

They had colors, jerseys, secret meanings, ritual, etc. You name it, they had all of it except badges.

Oh, by the way, there was only one fraternity. All they ever really did was throw parties that would get broken up by the cops.

Fraternities and Sororities are not allowed in New York State High Schools, however, when I went to High School we had two of each that were "underground." They hazed unmercifully. The girls were humiliated daily and the boys ended up in the hospital quite a few times because of being paddled and then left out in the cold with no clothes and no way to contact any one to get home.
Each of the groups had been long standing organizations in my high school (60 years old or so when I was in HS) so my town was full of alums of these 4 groups. Therefore everyone, even the adminisration, turned a "blind eye" during the obvious annual hazing of new members.
The hazing was absurd and ridiculously cruel and in the end the groups themselves did absolutely nothing during the rest of the year except have a "hell night" which was their ritual initiation, and then throw one party during the year

Every single fall new kids would join...I simply don't understand it. Imagine being a 15 year old girl and being told that you have to carry around a box of tampons with you everywhere, in full sight, that you cannot wear make up, that you have to wear the same sweat suit every single day, that you cannot wash your hair more than once a week, that you need to do your future sisters' homework. Imagine being asked to sexually proposition senior boys, or being told to run behind the soccer team chanting about your sexual availability. Imagine being called a "dog" in public by your future "sisters"...yes, they were even called "dogs," not pledges.
Ugh, some of my girl friends went through it and it was totally crazy. However, when their senior year rolled around they felt it was their right to haze a new group of girls, that that was the only thing that made what they went through worth it, and so the cycle continued.
Many women from my high school were very reluctant to join sororities during college because of either going through, or simply witnessing what our high school sororities were like.
I myself spent hours attempting to explain to quite a few of my high school girlfriends why my sorority experience was inherently different than what we had been exposed to. Many were pretty sure that I had lost my mind when I decided to join ADPi, and I understood where they were coming from. Luckily, my long and passionate talks defending and promoting sororities convinced two of my close friends to Go Greek and they both became Alpha Gamma Deltas...and they were both very happy AGDs!
okay that's my story,
Greek Love and Peace,
violets

Thank you!
 

Thank you for clearing up those questions for me, tcsparky.

And Violets, those stories you shared of the hazing that goes on in those organizations is so incredibly sad! I can't believe that the school administration would just ignore it all. That is horrible.
It makes me appreciate ADPi, and all other non-hazing greek organizations even more.

thanks guys
 

Hi everyone-
thanks for responding to this. It was just something i was curious about.

We had a mini band sorority called Psi Sigma Mu, it was fun... :) Im a founder, and I also founded it within my friends in Clarion


ALSO, if a woman is 18, she can join a Nu Phi Mu chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.... :):):):) I was 18 in HS, I wish I would have know about Beta then!!!

I remeber that...I think it was in the Junior High books, though. They always had to wear one article of purple clothing and their mascot was the unicorn (a little bit Delta Phi Epsilon, I woder if there is a connection there?).....Elizabeth was in it, too, but she never went to the meetings or anything. There was one story where they blackballed a girl because she was too fat for them, and Elizabeth fought it. The only two SVJH books I remember mention it quite bit. I can't believe I remember any of this.....

Those were two different clubs. As mentioned, in high school there was Pi Beta Alpha, and in middle school there was the Unicorn Club. Elizabeth wasn't a member of Pi Beta Alpha (I don't think?), and she was only a member of the Unicorn Club when that got its own series -- not in the Sweet Valley Twins series when they're in sixth grade.

I read WAY too much Sweet Valley when I was a kid. It's so sad that I still remember these things. I wonder how much space in my head is taken up by remembering stupid Sweet Valley trivia rather than important stuff.

Gamma Delta Phi High School Sorority?
 

My great-aunt passed away this year. Among the things I inherited was her high school ring, dated from 1925. On the face of the ring are the Greek letters: Gamma Delta Phi. My aunt went to school in the Philadelphia area, and I would love to know more about her experience with this group.

Does anyone know anything about it? I've worn the ring a few times; no other women in my family were GLO-affiliates, so I'm proud to share a similar tradition with her.

Thanks :)

My mom was in a sorority in high school and she loved it. I have seen her pledge book and other stuff that was in her scrapbook it is really neat. The only thing is, she told me that her sorority in high school hazed so much more than her sorority in college. What I mean by hazing is the old school stuff, couldn't wear makeup, couldn't shave her legs or fix her hair. Petty stuff like that. I believe she was a phi delta epsilon

The ADKs here are pretty bad about hazing. Several of them have told me horror stories, but they thought it was all fun...

I can't imagine going for long in high school without my legs shaved. I was pretty vain.

One of the girls at my church is a DBS, and all the girls I've met are sweet and just as adorable as they can be.

The sororities at the private university I tranferred from made fun of the girls that had been in high school sororities. They usually got cut really fast because they had already "played Greek" as some of the members called it.

So are most of these high school sororities and fraternities at private schools or large public schools? I went to a very rural school were I don't think this idea would have flown. The Key club and Keywannettes behaved somewhat like social clubs, however. They didn't really do much service, they just threw social events for themselves. :rolleyes: Their membership was open but I never bothered joining. They would drive out the "uncool" people by excluding them from stuff... I can't imagine my high school allowing this, however...

I was also reading about how in the early days of fraternities and sororities there were no rush rules, so the groups would begin recruiting in high school. Sometimes they would pledge and initiate high schoolers! Part of the reason for forming the NIC and NPC stemmed from this problem...

Does anyone know whether people still colonize high school fraternities and sororities? Do they get shut down frequently nowadays--it seems that a lot of mothers were in them but not so many GCers...

And on the Sweet Valley tip: http://www.randomhouse.com/sweetvalley/#
The website also states that Francine Pascal attended NYU.

I was the founder and president of my high school sorority. It was pretty different because our main focus was community service. It has turned into the most popular and successful organization at that high school and now has a 2nd chapter at another high school. We hosted school dances, homecoming activities, etc., so we did have the social aspect, as well. We were Kappa Epsilon Tau.

The schools here in the county I live in now have 2 high school sororities - Alpha Delta Kappa (isn't that an honor society?) and Delta Beta Sigma. They are very different from mine was. They require their members to wear certain things, they haze them, they're very elitist.

I loved the Sweet Valley books. :)

I went to public school in the suburbs of Chicago and my high school banned sororities, fraternities and other secret societies. If there were any underground sororities or fraternities I didn't know about them.

More mentions of high school sororities and fraternities: there was a series of books I used to read called Sorority Girls, about a high school sorority called Pearl at a school in Michigan. Here's a link to the description of the first book. (I think they are out of print now) Marjorie Sharmat also wrote a series of books called Sorority Sisters about two high school sororities. In non-fiction, Bob Greene mentions his high school fraternity, Epsilon (I think) in his book, Be True To Your School.

Our school had a chapter of Phi Kappa...and I was in the corresponding high school sorority for about a year. We were VERY hazed, and that's what turned me off, because I refused to haze my little.

One of my SAI sisters was in DBS, and she loved it. She said it was a lot like a college sorority, and that her chapter didn'y haze at all or fit the stereotypes.

way back when
 

Back in the good ole days when I was in High School we had a service organization call Sigma Delta Phi. It started out being called the Juniorettes and they wore those horrid yellow pink and white dresses that looked like mumus. My freshmen year it was changed to the Greek Letters. We didn't have rush persay, but conducted interviews of the PNMs. Pretty much everyone got in but once people were in they didn't do crap for the org. I was in it for 4 years and was VP my senior year and half way through I was put up to prez because our pres at the time had no respect for anyone, including yours truly.

Our colors were pink and yellow
Flower- pink and yellow carnations
Motto- Sisters in Service

I still think it's around at my old high school. When I get a teaching job I plan on starting a Beta Chapter where ever I go. Maybe even making it a little better constructed. I always wanted to have badges and stuff but we never had the money. I still have my shirts and jerseys and love to wear them!


Southern Lovin'
Sara